Students Arrested In CIA Protest

October 28, 1987

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) _ Nineteen people were arrested Wednesday after students at the University of Vermont occupied the president’s office to protest CIA recruitment policies.

Campus security officers made the arrests at 10 a.m. after the protesters refused to leave, said university spokesman Nicola Marro. Two students were charged with disorderly conduct, while the rest were cited for unlawful trespass.

The students began their sit-in Tuesday afternoon outside the administrative offices and gained access to President Lattie Coor’s office sometime overnight, Marro said.

The students oppose recruitment by the CIA because they say it discriminates against homosexuals, in violation of university rules.

A university spokesman said the school asks recruiters to follow federal policy, which does not ban discrimination against homosexuals.

Marro said the CIA held interviews Wednesday at the Federal Building in Burlington. Thirty-one students’ resumes were forwarded to the CIA.